The present disclosure pertains to image forming devices that include fusers and a paper process to reduce fuser roller edgewear.
As is known, in a typical electrophotographic copying or printing process, a charged photoconductor is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image. As described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,233 to Anthony S. Condello et al. (“Condello”), at column 1, lines 12-41, this latent image is then developed by bringing a developer material such as toner in contact therewith. The toner is deposited as a latent electrostatic image on the photoconductor. The toner image is then transferred from the photoconductor to a copy substrate such as, for example, paper or another media. In order to fix or fuse the toner onto the media permanently by heat, the toner material is heated to cause the toner to flow onto the fibers or pores of the media. Thereafter, as the toner cools, the toner solidifies, thus causing the toner to permanently bond to the media.
Typical fusing arrangements are described in the foregoing Condello patent, especially from column 1, line 42 to column 4, line 9.
Still further fusing arrangements are described in the aforementioned further four (4) U.S. Pat. No. 7,280,793 granted 9 Oct. 2007 to Martin F. Zess et al.; No. 5,697,036 granted 9 Dec. 1997 to Rabin Moser; No. 4,042,804 granted 16 Aug. 1997 to Rabin Moser; and No. 3,934,113 granted 20 Jan. 1976 to Ari Bar-on. The disclosures of the aforementioned five (5) patents to Anthony S. Condello et al., Martin F. Zess et al., Rabin Moser (2 patents) and Ari Bar-on are herein incorporated by reference verbatim and with the same effect as though the identical disclosures were presented hereinat in their entireties.
As is known, fuser rollers wear Fuser rollers wear due to the cutting action of the edges of paper as they move through the fuser. The problem generally worsens as the caliper of the paper increases. The wear is most severe on the nip forming roller of the fuser roller pair. This is because there is a concentrated speed differential of the elastomer at the paper edge due to the incompressibility of the elastomer and the strain discontinuity produced by the paper edge. If the nip forming roller is also the fuser roller (as in IGEN), this wear area inevitably cause an image defect which negatively impacts the fuser roller life.
Prior to the present disclosure the only way to reduce the problem is to search for better wearing elastomers (very difficult) or to reduce average strain which trades off fusing performance.
Thus, there is a need for the present invention.